Comparative analysis of three different tomato varieties for yield and fruit cluster traits in greenhouse production

Abstract

Selection of appropriate cultivars is vital for maximizing productivity and returns in greenhouse tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) production. This study evaluated cluster traits (fruit number per cluster, cluster weight and fruit size) and yield parameters (total and marketable yield per plant) of three commercial varieties namely Candela F1, Dylla F1 and Trinity F1. The trial was conducted under greenhouse conditions in Zvishavane, Midlands Province, Zimbabwe. A Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with six replications was utilized with three treatments. The Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was executed via Genstat 22nd Edition with means separated using Least Significance Difference (LSD) test (p<0.05). The results indicated significant phenotypic variations across all evaluated traits leading to the rejection of all null hypotheses. Dylla F1 produced the highest fruit count per cluster (8.83) followed by Candela F1 (7.67) and Trinity F1 (6.83) with F probability of 0.028. However, Candela F1 yielded the heaviest cluster weight of 1520g and the largest individual fruits size of 75.67mm which significantly outperformed Dylla F1 (1106g and 63.67mm) and Trinity F1 (1024g and 66.33mm) with F probability less than 0.001. Candela F1 achieved the highest total yield of 17.42kg/plant and marketable yield of 14.11kg/plant in terms of final productivity. The study concluded that Candela F1 is the optimal variety for this semi-arid region, successfully combining superior fruit size, cluster weight and commercial yield. While Dylla F1 indicated high fruit set capabilities, it suffered from a physiological trade-off where high fruit numbers compromised individual fruit sizing and marketability. Greenhouse growers are recommended to adopt Candela F1 for commercial production especially when targeting premium markets.